Singaporean couples are having fewer children and more citizens, especially women with university degrees, are putting off marriage, resulting in a sharp decline in births and an ageing population.

"This decline in our marriage and procreation rates is clearly a national problem," Goh said in a policy statement issued in parliament after a debate on pressing national issues ended on Friday, April 5.

Singapore has only 3.2 million citizens and permanent residents. Including foreign workers and professionals, the total population is around four million.

The total fertility rate (TFR) for 2001 hit a historic low of 1.42 children per woman, way below the population replacement rate of 2.1, and the number of births in 2001 was about 40,000, a decline of 12.5 percent over 2000.

"The implications are grave. We cannot let nature take its course, even though low fertility is common among developed countries," said Goh.

"We need to act as the implications of a continued sub-replacement TFR are severe for a small country like ours. We might not survive as a nation because of it," he said.

The singlehood rate for resident males aged 40-44 years rose from 11.6 per hundred in 1995, to 15.0 per hundred in 2001. The singlehood rate for resident females in the same age group increased from 12.5 per hundred to 14.0 per hundred.

For males, most of the singles were those with secondary and lower education, whereas females with university degrees continued to be the biggest group of unmarried women.

"This inability or unwillingness on the part of Singaporeans to get hitched is seriously contributing to our falling fertility problem," Goh said.

Singapore, known for its "social engineering" skills, has had state-supported dating services for years and more recently offered a "baby bonus" package for new parents, including financial, housing, educational and other incentives.

But the 60-year-old prime minister, an economist by training, lamented that the response to the package of measures has not been encouraging, and the fertility rates have continued to fall.

He said this might have been the result of the country's sharp recession last year and hoped the response will be better as the economy improves.

"But I am not too hopeful. It will pick up somewhat, but the reason for declining marriages and births is more fundamental. We are experiencing a change in attitude towards marriage and family among the young," he said.

"Surveys continue to show that our young place financial and career goals ahead of family formation," Goh added, urging Singaporean couples to aim for three children rather than the current norm of one or two.

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